The licensing process: streamlined but still rigorous.

What a difference a few decades make. That's the consensus of those involved in the licensing process for nuclear reactors, for one main reason: The process has been streamlined in the nearly 30 years since a new reactor was being designed and built.

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"In the old days, you'd go through a process for construction permits and a separate process for building and design," says Joey Ledford. a spokesman at the Atlanta office of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. "But sometimes there were delays and having to go back and redo something, which meant you were building a reactor you didn't have a license for, so there were issues with getting an operating license. There were a lot of problems."

For SCANA Corp. subsidiary S.C. Electric & Gas Co., which is going through the new process along with Santee Cooper to build a reactor at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station, the streamlined method removes much of the red tape.

SCANA owns 55% of the new reactor, which will be located in Jenkinsville, S.C. The utility experienced the double application process first hand for the existing units at V.C. Summer, says spokeswoman Rhonda O'Banion. "It took several years just to get the construction permit, yet there was no guarantee that you could operate the plant. That was an entirely separate process that took another several years." Combining the applications allows for a more definitive time frame for the many detailed reviews and approvals that are required on the path to receiving a construction and operation license, she says.

Laura Varn, vice president of corporate communications for Santee Cooper, says the extensive Energy Policy Act of 2005 includes regulations that allowed the process to be combined. "This puts it all in one basket, so upfront there are the plans, what type of equipment will be used, the design, everything. Although it's still a rigorous schedule, the new process removes a huge time constraint."

The new process has other benefits besides efficiency. "It's far less complex now, which is good," Ledford says. "It's also better for investors, because there is a considerable investment in building these plants. To go forward with construction without having the license would create more of a risk for investors and utilities." Licensing by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is expected to be completed for the V.C. Summer reactor by late 2011 or early 2012.

The S.C. Public Service Commission, the state's licensing...